Gout Pal Interactive

Where do you go for gout diagnosis?

You might think that any qualified doctor could tell if you have gout, but even your doctor is not sure.

In a recent survey of different types of physicians, only rheumatologists are 100% certain that they can diagnose gout.

This supports my advice that you should always consult a rheumatologist if you have gout, or show any gout symptoms.

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Whilst looking for information about uric acid, I came across an interesting piece about Alzheimer’s disease and uric acid.

In the article, Mathilda refers to some recent research about uric acid as a potential cure for Alzheimer’s, or at least a way to hold the progression of the disease.

The research in this article follows on from a piece I did last year explaining how uric acid could reduce nerve damage. The researcher, Professor Firestein, pointed out to me that maintaining an adequate level of uric acid in the body is important.

There are a few more important points about uric acid, Alzheimer’s disease and related medical conditions and treatments.

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Join the forum discussion on this post - (2) Posts

You see lots of gout information, but how much is written just for you?

You might not realize, but the whole of GoutPal.com is driven by your needs and desires.

I like to analyze visitor numbers, but mainly I respond to your requests - especially when you write them in the Gout Forum (now no registration required).

It is by far the easiest way to communicate, and I really missed it when my ISP let me down. Now that I’m back in business on a new server, I will continue to manually transfer old popular gout information. I will also try to catch up on the avalanche of emails I received during the time my server was crippled.

My priority will be to respond to your forum requests, but I am also interested in what my visitors find interesting, even if you leave no comments.

I plan to add a weekly and monthly summary of popular gout information from GoutPal.com. For the first week in April, these are:

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Thanks to The Wellness Site for this image

I’d never heard of Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) until a recent question from a gout sufferer suggested a link with gout and PKD.

Coincidentally, I spotted a PKD article on my Gout Related News Page, entitled “Potential New Treatments For Polycystic Kidney Disease”.

As you may know, the Gout News Page contains an automatically updated feed from Medical News Today. As well as gout news, I include other topics of interest to gout sufferers. As PKD has been mentioned recently in the Gout Forum, I was drawn to this article.

Read the rest of this entry »

Rumours of my demise are exaggerated.

Not only am I still alive and kicking, but I’ve resurrected this blog.

There’s hope for a bright future on a new server. Thanks to all who’ve helped with this - I’ll write more soon.

In the meantime, there are a few bugs that have crept in during moving this site. They may also affect links on GoutPal.com.

If you spot anything, please let me know.

Also, please let me know what is most important to you. I always give priority to your needs.

I’ve just read a fascinating study about a substance called L-carnitine and it’s effect on uric acid.

The study is not concerned with gout, but anything related to uric acid interests me. This particular study looks at how uric acid rises after strenuous exercise. The fact that exertion raises uric acid is the reason why I recommend gentle exercise for gout sufferers - exercise is important to aid mobility and help weight loss, but too much can have a bad effect.

L-Carnitine

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L-carnitine is currently being promoted widely as an anti-aging / anti-dementia supplement. It is produced naturally in the body if sufficient lysine (an amino acid found in protein), vitamins B1, B6 and iron is available. It is available from diet - mainly muscle and organ meat, fish and milk products.

The study about uric acid, exercise, and l-carnitine (L-Carnitine L-tartrate supplementation favorably affects markers of recovery from exercise stress) uses a commonly available carnitine supplement LCLT, combining L-carnitine with L-tartrate.

In the study, the subjects took the LCLT supplement for a 6 day rest period prior to starting the exercises. Although the study is mainly concerned with the effects during and after exercise, the volunteers on LCLT displayed lower uric acid levels even during the rest period.

The big question is - will it do any good for gout? If you’ve taken this supplement, please let me know how you got on with it.

This article has been deleted.

If you feel there is no hope for gout sufferers, or if you feel that there is hope, please discuss in the gout forum.

Here is the answer to your short gout question, “How long between gout attacks?”

As with many gout questions, the short answer is, “It depends.”

The long answer needs an explanation of what it depends on.

First, let me define what a gout attack is. You know it from painful swelling of one or more joints, usually accompanied by redness and/or flaky skin. You might also experience some feverishness.

The gout attack is caused by Read the rest of this entry »

This article answers the short gout question “swollen toes diagnosis”. It also addresses a point raised in a recent comment about infection and gout.

Swollen toes are a common sign of gout, but there could be other reasons.

If you go to the doctors with swollen toes, they will usually start by asking about any possible recent Read the rest of this entry »

This answers the short gout question, “food list high in potassium.”

I have produced a table that lists foods high in potassium. Most gout sufferers should not worry about potassium. If you eat a healthy gout diet (see my gout diet Section), you will get adequate amounts of potassium.

The right amount of potassium is important for good health, but you must not eat too much. You must Read the rest of this entry »